Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Radioiodine (RI) treatment of benign thyroid disease in young people has received a lot of attention recently with authorities in the US highlighting an encouraging short and medium term safety record. In this audit we surveyed treatment centres in the UK to assess the trend in RI administration in patients aged 21 years and under.Methods: Over sixty Medical Physics Departments, dispersed to represent a suitable geographical coverage pattern ...

IntroductionTestosterone replacement for hypogonadism comes in a variety of galenical forms. Side effects include prostatic enlargement and polycythaemia. Furthermore careful scrutiny for prostatic carcinoma is essential. We audited 205 male patients from one clinical centre to assess dose, frequency and complications profile and the effectiveness of biochemical and haematological monitoring. Data of this type in a group of this size has not been previously published.M...

Introduction: Disruption of the hypothalamic dopaminergic inhibitory control of prolactin (PRL) secretion results in hyperprolactinaemia. We have previously shown in a large series of patients with non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas that serum PRL virtually never exceeds 2000 mU/l in the absence of PRL elevating medications. Current data on the effect of other sellar/parasellar masses are limited.Objective: To investigate the range of PRL values at ...

Background: Pituitary stalk compression by sellar/parasellar tumours [commonly non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFA) or craniopharyngiomas (CR)] is one of the causes of hyperprolactinaemia. However, in such cases the upper limits of serum prolactin (PRL) are not clearly defined ('grey zone': 3000-6000 mU/L) causing confusion in the differential diagnosis between disconnection hyperprolactinaemia and prolactin-secreting adenomas.Objective: To investiga...

Background: In clinical practice there is considerable confusion as to whether pituitary imaging is indicated in patients presenting with a marginally elevated serum prolactin level (<1000 milliunits per litre) and no other discernible cause of hyperprolactinaemia.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of radiological abnormalities of the pituitary in patients presenting with marginal hyperprolactinaemia (<1000 milliunits...

Introduction: Long-term increased morbidity and mortality in Turner Syndrome (TS) due to vascular disease is recognized, and suggested risk factors include metabolic parameters and possible change in haemostasis, however elevated red cell parameters in women with TS have not previously been noted.Methods: Following an observation of unexplained occurrence of elevated hemoglobin, a quality improvement-project was conducted to retrospectively review full b...

Background: Cushing’s disease (CD) may be associated with equivocal results on biochemical investigations.Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of dexamethazone suppression tests in the diagnostic work-up of CD.Patients and methods: Seventy patients with CD [median age 38 yrs(16–76), 53 females] presenting between 1976–2005 were studied. 24-hr urinary free cortisol (UFC), overnight (oDST) (1 mg at 23:00 h), low dose (LDDST...